Questions about Queen/Burke half whittler

L

lucydog

Joined
Feb 14, 2015
Messages
69
Hi all,

This is my first post, I have been lurking for a couple of months and have learned much from this wonderful forum, thank you. I have carried a small slipjoint knife in my front pocket or purse for over 20 years and only recently began researching different patterns and makers. I have acquired a few different patterns and find that I prefer a single spring with a serpentine frame and two differently sized blades - I really love the wharncliffes. I recently pick up the queen/db half whittler and it's my favorite knife thus far. Here it is:

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I have a few questions for anyone familiar with this knife. The wharnie blade has a swedge on the backside of the blade, but not on the side with the nail nick, is this normal? Also, there is a number "2" engraved on the main blade and my research has turned up nothing on this. Is the knife a second? Does the number refer to a second run of these knives? I assume a serial number would have three digits. I'm also confused about the year(s) these knives were made, and if there was more than one run produced. Any info would be appreciated.

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I am so enamored with this pattern that I just ordered the Queen #46 in pearl (I'm a woman with a love of pretty things). And now I'm looking at the GEC #57 (half whittler) although I'm not sure of it'll be too much for my rather small hands, any comments about the 57 are also welcome.

Thanks in advance!
 
Thanks Stephen for the warm welcome and the link, great info. I wondered if the swedge was for clearance of the pen blade, I'm amazed there's no blade rub when I open it. I was thinking that if the wharnie had a swedge on the front the nail nick would have to be placed too low for good leverage, I'm really intrigued with how folding knives function and fit together.
 
Greetings Lucy! The likely reason that a proper swedge wasn't put on the mark side of that blade is because they would likely have cut into the nail nick in the process. Had the nick been put a bit lower on the blade it would have been no problem. Some blades do have off center swedges in order to provide clearance for other blades (or your finger nail), but I don't think a wharnie blade is a good candidate for that. The two is likely a marker for a second, might even be due to the blade issue.

Eric
 
ea42 said:
Greetings Lucy! The likely reason that a proper swedge wasn't put on the mark side of that blade is because they would likely have cut into the nail nick in the process. Had the nick been put a bit lower on the blade it would have been no problem. Some blades do have off center swedges in order to provide clearance for other blades (or your finger nail), but I don't think a wharnie blade is a good candidate for that. The two is likely a marker for a second, might even be due to the blade issue.
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More great info, thanks so much! I don't mind if the knife is a second since I use it and it's been working great. I'd love to know why the wharncliffe isn't a good candidate for a single swedge, I want to learn as much as I can.
 
I have one of these. Queen did a good job with them. Their #46 half-whittler is a nice one. Both blades have a nice easy pull and walk and talk.

The swedge is normal. I don't know about the 2 on the tang.
 
Looks like a great one! If it is a 2nd, it's usually due to a minor cosmetic blemish, which can sometimes be pretty tough to pick out.
However, most companies that I've seen release factory seconds, generally use a notch or a mark, something small and easy to apply, rather than an actual stamped number 2. But, that's not to say that it can't be the case here, I certainly am not the cutler who stamped it. ;)
 
The GEC 57 Half Whit is an excellent knife. Nice & thin so it carries easily. Unless you were the hand model for those tiny hands burger king commercials I can't imagine it being to big for your hands lol. :). I have several gec's with 2 blades on a single spring that have the swedge only on one side of each blade & its definitely for clearance issues. My 57 Half Whit, 68 White Owl & 61 Half Congress all have it. The 61 Half Congress is another nice one you might like. Here is a picture of my 57 & 61.
 
Don't have that knife myself lucydog but I've long admired them, but over here in Europe they're hard to find. I like the concealed tang for its lack of rip on pockets. I would imagine the 2 does denote some kind of second but it could be a very minor issue.

The GEC57 Half Whitt is very decent but it's quite a bulky knife as it has considerable bolsters, uite a strong spring too. Here's my Pickle Green Bone version open showing the single-spring construction, I'm a fan of that too. Have a look at the Single-Spring Supporters thread here, you might get some ideas from that....:cool:

Another knife you might well favour is the CASE Mini Copperhead, small light and a very nice carry.

Thanks, Will.

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jkulysses said:
The GEC 57 Half Whit is an excellent knife. Nice & thin so it carries easily. Unless you were the hand model for those tiny hands burger king commercials I can't imagine it being to big for your hands lol. :). I have several gec's with 2 blades on a single spring that have the swedge only on one side of each blade & its definitely for clearance issues. My 57 Half Whit, 68 White Owl & 61 Half Congress all have it. The 61 Half Congress is another nice one you might like.
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Thanks for the pics, the congress also looks nice! I have my eye on the 57 half whitt in buffalo horn.
 
Will Power said:
Don't have that knife myself lucydog but I've long admired them, but over here in Europe they're hard to find. I like the concealed tang for its lack of rip on pockets. I would imagine the 2 does denote some kind of second but it could be a very minor issue.

The GEC57 Half Whitt is very decent but it's quite a bulky knife as it has considerable bolsters, uite a strong spring too. Here's my Pickle Green Bone version open showing the single-spring construction, I'm a fan of that too. Have a look at the Single-Spring Supporters thread here, you might get some ideas from that....:cool:

Another knife you might well favour is the CASE Mini Copperhead, small light and a very nice carry.

Thanks, Will.
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The strong spring has me a little worried. I have read on the forum that you can leave the knife open 3/4 for a few days to soften up the spring. Is this true and is it advised?

I love the look of the copperhead but am not super fond of the angle of the pen blade, although I can see that being advantageous for push cutting while carving something. I may pick one up at some point. Thanks!
 
I've never had a spring become lighter, either through use or by leaving it under tension. My opinion is, that's a myth. Some folks say it works for them, though. Not wanting to seem hyper-critical, I just vow not to set foot in their part of the universe, because I don't know how I'd handle a complete suspension of the laws of physics. :p
 
puukkoman I tend to agree with you here, I've had a monster 73 that no amount of leaving open at an acute angle (6 weeks) did anything to. ditto the repeated opening process, might work if you kept it up constantly for a year.... :D Taking a tiny file and rounding out the tang helped a bit but it caused gritty steel filings to get in the spring:eek::barf:

lucydog I've checked out my Half-Whitt, the spring is actually not too tough at all, there's plenty of blade to grip and having no tiresome half-stop it's a smooth opening action. So I think you don't need to fear it, a nice unusual pattern with some decent handle options.

Thanks, Will
 
Will Power said:
lucydog I've checked out my Half-Whitt, the spring is actually not too tough at all, there's plenty of blade to grip and having no tiresome half-stop it's a smooth opening action. So I think you don't need to fear it, a nice unusual pattern with some decent handle options.
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Thanks so much for checking! The half whitt will likely be my next purchase.
 
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